Who is your favorite presidential historian? And why?

[CTyankee]

I guess I should add: on TV regularly.

I LOVE Jon Meacham myself. He is just what we need in our lives to give us some perspective on American politics today because he informs us about our other presidents throughout our history as a country.

But I also like Doris Kearns Goodwin a lot. She has a wonderful knack of presenting history in a lively manner or at least she does on TV.

Those two are on talk shows a lot and I get so much listening to them!

[hlthe2b]

1. Michael Beschloss followed by Jon Meacham

Doris is a close third and tied with Douglas Brinkley

[CTyankee]

2. why do you favor Beschloss over Meacham?

[hlthe2b]

5. Besides his many books, his time on PBS, work with the Smithsonian, and NBC contributor for years

and, more recently a very enjoyable twitter feed, which made Time magazines "Best of" in 2013.
It is fairly subjective, though because I really like Meacham too. Maybe the subjects of Beschloss' many books appealed to me more.

[Drunken Irishman]

3. I think Doris Kearns Goodwin is very good.

She clearly has her biases but I love how she's capable of contrasting today's politics with the politics of a bygone era.

[onecaliberal]

4. They've all 3 been invaluable in pointing out that this is not how it works.

[mobeau69]

6. Ken Burns, DKG,

[dewsgirl]

7. Jon Meacham is my favorite, I also really like Michael Beschloss.

[Patterson]

8. I love the ones mentioned I see on PBS. Meacham is so cool and Beschloss draws me in with his voice.

[hlthe2b]

11. Yeah... They are both consummate "gentlemen," but something about Beschloss really does draw

me in.

[CaliforniaPeggy]

17. Yes, Beschloss and that voice!

I can hear him in my mind's ear.

Soothing, but intellectual and visionary.

Amazing.

[dhol82]

9. I really like John Meachem best.

He’s just so knowledgeable and calm and seems like such a lovely, caring person.
I like all the above mentioned but Meachem is my fav.

[CTyankee]

21. Meachum is a devout Episcopalian. He wrote a book recently on the last words of Christ on

the cross. For believers, it must have been a wonderful gift. I am not but if I were I'd be an Episcopalian. I had a good friend who is a deacon in the Episcopal Church. I knew her here in New Haven when she attended Yale Divinity School. She's also whipsmart and a Southerner like Meacham.

[dhol82]

29. I know that. It's probably what makes him such a calm believer in what he says.

I am an atheist but love his acceptance of faith and his ability to integrate it to appeal to others.
That’s in addition to his extensive knowledge of American history.

[CTyankee]

31. Yet they don't beat you over the head with it and usually are very relaxed about it.

As an art historian, I have been exposed to a huge amount of religiosity in painting and am constantly reminded on what inspiration the Christian religion has given to artists. Their works, particularly what I have seen in Florence, are astonishing.

American historians are artists and exceptional story tellers. I treasure them.

[dhol82]

35. Yes

[Raven123]

10. David McCullough

IMO hewrote biographies of John Adams and Harry Truman. His writing style is clear and concise. I like authors who write cleanly; optimize storytelling while quoting their subjects judiciously )when it serves to make a point) and avoid opining on their subjects’ motivations.

[El Supremo]

19. Yes!

[LeftInTX]

30. Yes!

[EarnestPutz]

12. Just like when she talks or writes about baseball, you can hear and feel the love that Doris....

....Kearns Goodwin has for her subjects. When she tells us about the presidents, their foibles and their triumphs, she brings them alive as human beings that she has come to know, almost personally.

[CTyankee]

22. I like her stories about LBJ. Very entertaining!

[Rice4VP]

13. Meachum

[Brother Buzz]

14. John F. Rothmann

With his wicked cool photographic memory, and his ability to read huge history tomes in hours with total recall, he can hold his own with any presidential historian. But what puts him apart from the others is his extensive knowledge of vice presidents. Nobody, but nobody knows vice presidents like he does.

Oh, he's not a regular on TV (although I've seen him on TV), but radio is his bailiwick (KGO in SF). I've been listening to him for, like, thirty years.

[milestogo]

15. Michael Beschloss

[snowybirdie]

16. I just saw Meachem

has been let go by MSNBC because he didn't reveal he wrote Biden's speech last Saturday night. Haven't seen followup. Anyone know?

[CTyankee]

23. Oh, no!

I should think they'd want to keep him because he is so relevant. But I understand why they did what they did. He should have revealed it so they could do a disclaimer.

[PatSeg]

43. I read that Meacham left

to work with Joe Biden, but that he would be invited back as an unpaid guest with full disclosure of his participation in the Biden administration. The same is true of Barbara McQuade, Ezekiel Emanuel, and Richard Stengel.

The headlines from The New York Post and Fox News are more provocative of course: "Liberal media hides its darling love affair with Joe Biden"!!!

[Chili]

18. All three

Beschloss (been listening to him forever) and Doris Kearns Goodwin (have a few of her books on campaigns going back awhile when I could still read books ).

Meacham is new for me - not because I didn't know him, but I didn't like him. His disgust with Clinton during the impeachment annoyed me - I considered him partisan. But this year, he's the complete opposite, especially his respect and admiration for John Lewis. I see him differently now. (not that what Clinton did wasn't stupid and cruel to Hillary).

[CTyankee]

24. Clinton deserved disfavor because he didn't stop Lewinsky early on.

Yes, Meacham's respect for John Lewis is terrific since Meacham is a son of the South.

Goodwin tells great stories about LBJ when she's on TV.

[Chili]

28. yes he did deserve disfavor

...but, I felt, not impeachment. Because they were so relentless in disgracing him, the rep Senate couldn't convict because they had shoved him into a 70% approval rating. Gephardt was right on target keeping the Dems subdued while they did it.

Trying to remember which Kearns books I read (books upstairs in a box ). I think they were the 1980 and 1984 campaigns.

[CTyankee]

36. He was impeached on lying to a grand jury about the affair. He was disbarred by the state of

Arkansas. That was the appropriate remedy I believe. I think the founders thought of lying to a grand jury to be punished but of course had no idea that it would bring impeachment.

I am furious with Clinton for doing that to our party and to us. He had the power to put a firm end to Lewinski's access to the White House and didn't do it. It was a colossal failure on his part.

[Chili]

37. I know what he was impeached for - I taped every session

... on my VCR and watched it when I got home from work. Whether you think he deserved impeachment or not doesn't matter to me. I don't agree.

[CTyankee]

39. we may not disagree. I did not mean to say that i agreed to his being impeached by the lie he told.

I didn't. However, the remedy I think was inevitable was his disbarment by the state of Arkansas. I did not agree that lying to a grand jury about a personal matter of no national significance should bring impeachment. I agreed with "censure and move on" which was what our party thought was necessary, not impeachment.

Sorry I wasn't clearer.

[Chili]

40. no problem

Watching the first big-time episode of the nastiness we see in the GOP today set me off: Gingrich, Hyde, Barr, Graham. It infuriated me so much that Clinton's stupidity, selfishness and arrogance got superseded by the malice from the right. It was embarrassing to all of us, and hurtful to Hillary. So I got all emotional all over again!

No problem!

[CTyankee]

41. So did I. But remember, the "Censure and Move On" idea spawned an organization devoted to just

that. I hope that moveon.org still is active. It seems that was their task.

[Chili]

42. they are active

I still get emails from them all the time. Forgot that was their birth!

[El Supremo]

20. Arthur M. Schlesinger Jr. should be mentioned.

For his works on JFK and RFK.

[CTyankee]

25. I have Schlesinger's books. Loved him and his writings on the Kennedy's.

[tavernier]

26. Doris relates a story as if she had been there

and met all the players. I believe she actually feels history.

[mopinko]

27. goodwin, hands down.

'team of rivals' was such an important book. i mean, it influenced obama.

and her relationship w lbj makes her invaluable.

[Raine]

32. Ken Burns. 👍 nt

[CTyankee]

34. Burns is the best at the way he does his programs. He is diligent, smart but humble, and seems

to be a really great guy.

[Buckeye_Democrat]

33. Goodwin for USA and Lucy Worsley for colonial period. nt

[Polybius]

38. Professor Allan Lichtman

Because he gets every presidential election right.